true but in hindsight it likely wouldn't have changed much, he'd have still been suspended for violating the wellness policy with the Benoit tragedy. I think his story would have still played out similarly but with a shot World title reign under his belt
They panicked because taker was injured. Batista was injured. And they really needed to get the belt off taker so he can have surgery. So with them thinking Kennedy was injured they immediately just went to plan b & gave it to edge. It’s a shame that Kennedy never got a world title run but it at least it gave us the edge era of smackdown because I think if Kennedy never got injured idk we would have saw edge become smackdown’s main key player because before that edge was stuck on raw playing second fiddle to John Cena
It doesn't help that most Money in the Bank media that goes over its history tends to act like Edge was the first guy to win overall, acting like Mr. Kennedy's win never happened.
That's a big reason why this era of wwe was the worst. If you weren't the 6 top guys in wwe, all it took as a 1 injury for Vince to lose all faith in you. There was nothing stopping Vince from showing up Friday and giving Edge the title match (he did it years later with Bautista after cena won the chamber match) and thus saving the briefcase.
The messed up part about eddie's last match is when kennedy entered the arena days after eddie died, when he heard he died, he was terrified thinking he killed eddie
And later down the road injures Cena, no wonder he started to phone it in BT the end, he was probably unsure of facing top talent without injuring them.
"if Jim Cornette could have kept his temper" that's not just a 'what if', that's a multiverse opening, timeline splitting,polarity reversing butterfly of infinite possibilities
Ken Anderson might just be one of the unluckiest guys in WWE history. The guy had so much charisma and a striking gimmick, and he was always on the cusp of something huge, and just when things seemed to be going up for him, he’d get injured, suspended, or ultimately fired. It’s a shame. Just makes you wonder what could’ve been.
Anderson didn't help his own cause, several pushes were cancelled due to putting his own foot in his mouth as much as his untimely injuries, says something that he was never rehired by WWE
The "what if?" of Kennedy cashing in a year later, winning the title in the main event of Wrestlemania and seeing the McMahon's son story to the end is one of the biggest in company history.
Imagine him not losing that briefcase, going through the illegitimate son angle, and facing Triple H at Mania.... His heel status would've been incredible.
The man had attitude era level aura. Kennedy was literally the ONLY reason I was watching WWE in 2005/06, because the product was just awful back then. I just happened to be flipping through the channels and landed on UPN, a station I hadn't watched in years. And there he was standing in the middle of the Ring with a spotlight on him, and a mic hanging from ceiling. He looked like a STAR. I had never seen or heard of this dude before, but you bet your azz l was back every week just for him. I didn't have cable at the time, so when he got drafted to Raw I stopped watching wwe again until Punk's pipebomb in 2011 😅
@@KoolKeithProductionssame here but later on, i got free antenna tv after buying digital antenna at Walmart for 9.99. During past few yrs I watch SD live for free on fox Friday nights. Now that ends but in exchange lol I get NXT for free soon on CW! Least I get NXT.
“Ayyyye man….this dude….this Mr. Kennedy….he stole my swanton….imma go back to Carolina…and tell my friend Shannon all about you Mr. Kennedy” - Jeff Hardy (probably)
I met him at a local wrestling show here in North Dakota. Such a nice guy. Talked to everyone and hung out after the show and just chatted with whoever wanted. Nice guy, can’t say that enough.
It''s honestly insane how cursed the year 2007 honestly was for the WWE especially that summer in 2007 everything that could go wrong basically did which just shows how cursed this year really was for WWE
As someone who started watching in late 06-early 07 going into Wrestlemania 23 and lived through the period between the Spring and Christmas of that year with everything that went down, it's crazy to think back on it now.
Just saying if Kennedy was needed to take time out due to injury in 2007 they could have made Batista win the world title in that steel cage match and kept the briefcase on Kennedy
I found it even more confusing that they then decided to give Khali the title over Batista when Edge himself got injured. It's not like they had any issue putting the limelight on Batista - and Khali absolutely sucked donkey balls.
It's crazy that even though he was released months before Smackdown vs Raw 2010 was released... He's still in the game and played a key role in Edge's in game storyline...
Hey Brian, there's one major event you glossed over. It was on the July 2, 2007 episode of RAW. This was Kennedy's first appearance on Raw since he got drafted and he opened up the show. Cena cuts him off while he's cutting his promo and completely ROASTS him on the mic. At one point he called him, "Mr. Camel Toe" while Kennedy got in no rebuttal and just looked like an idiot. Then Mr. Kennedy had a beat-the-clock challenge match (winner would challenge Cena at GAB for the title) against a jobber in Super Crazy. Mr. Kennedy lost the match in under 10 seconds via roll-up and, once again, looked like a complete idiot. It was a Santino Marella type moment. At the end of Raw, both Kennedy and Booker came out to attack Cena and Bobby Lashley, only to get their asses kicked by both of them. Once again, it made Kennedy look like a complete idiot. I remember thinking that all of Kennedy's hype was done after that episode. Mr. Kennedy didn't even make it onto the Great American Bash PPV and was in a throwaway triple threat IC title match at Summerslam where he ate the pin against Umaga. It was clear that Kennedy had detractors in the Raw locker room because he was served humble pie within his first couple of months on the brand.
I think this is interesting but not really out of character with how WWE used or uses heels - unless you're the top dog a lot of heels on any roster (especially with Cena around) generally look pretty weak and bumbling unless they're in a big program. But you're right, definitely a sign of things to come.
@@ConfusedProud It was something that I found interesting because Kennedy was coming off a feud with the Undertaker where he technically "won" twice on PPVs. He also won the MITB over a stacked group (Orton, Edge, Jeff, Punk) but was treated like such a putz when he came to Raw.
@@JustinLeeper Yup. Ken talks about how he had good relations with Taker and Batista on Smackdown which helped lead to his rise. I can't prove it with Cena but I can always tell when he doesn't like a talent. It's how he sneers at them and doesn't give them anything in return. Cena would do it with Kennedy and Alex Riley. In contrast, I got the sense that Cena had the utmost respect for guys like Punk, Bryan, AJ and KO.
I experienced the same pattern as Brian. I grew up with the ruthless aggression era, and loving guys like Cena, Batista, Edge, Orton, Taker etc. When the new era started it was difficult to get used to. It's tough to admit that you've grown up.
Kennedy is a bit like LA Knight or Joe Hendry in that he'll not blow you away in the ring but he's serviceable enough and he's so charismatic that it doesn't really matter if he's unlikely to have a 5 star banger.
The engaging personality giving you a reason to be invested in the storyline should be part of what makes a match 5 stars. It should not just be who can do the best shooting star press.
Hey if Ultimate Warrior can have decent matches with Hogan and Rick Rude of all people then I am sure LA Knight or even Kennedy could of had potential with having at least one amazing match with the right opponent. I mean before Reigns turned heel he had a great match with Lesnar at Mania 21 and those 2 matches with Aj Styles in 2016.
@@greasy8394 Oh, I'm certainly not saying that Kennedy or Knight are / were bad, it's just that they're obviously better on the mic than in the ring. But they've both had really fun matches.
Theres a category of wrestler for these guys, where theyre actually better than people think and are on their mark in the ring more than often, have a few standout tricks they can do very well. Like The Rock or LA, but arent super technical or super agile, but yet agile in their own impressive way, and can work with anyone.
To think had he not been misdiagnosed he could have still won the cash in and things could have been very different. Mr Kennedy was like a breath of fresh air at that time.
Fun fact: I have a copy of Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia, signed by Mr. Kennedy himself. I was in the Army when the movie came out, and as part of the publicity tour, he was making appearances at military bases across the country. He made a stop at Fort Bliss, TX while I was stationed there - I got a photo with him and he signed both the movie and a Mr. Kennedy action figure. They're both probably still in my sister's garage in one of my footlockers, action figure still in box though a little rough around the edges.
The really fucked up part of the ‘07 briefcase fiasco is that Edge ended up getting hurt only a month into his reign while Kennedy had already returned from his arm injury.
And then both guys got done in for the Signature Pharmacy scandal. Even if either stayed healthy they both would've dropped the title and been suspended anyway.
Randy Orton being Mr. Over-dramatic... (Over-dramatic). I've never been able to respect Randy Orton since I found out about that incident. Randy never hit his head like he claimed, and played politics to get a man fired.
I mean, he most probably is good friends with John Cena and you know how John Cena's ego is. Probably told him to help and get Kennedy fired for the previous accident. It's John "Wo Ai Bing Chilling" Cena after all.
That bit about the last ride match basically being just an ambulance match but with a hearse was my exact sentiment when I was thinking about the first one with JBL/Taker at No Mercy 04.
I met Ken Anderson back in 2019 during an independent promotions big event and he was a very cool guy. I don’t think he was too thrilled that I brought a WWE belt but I think at that point he didn’t care
8:55 I was at that SD show in the front row where he lost via pinfall for the first time. His mom and girlfriend were in the front row (got to talk to them before the show) and so were a lot of Indy wrestlers from Minneapolis area who knew Kennedy. It was really surprising they had him lose.
I was too young to appreciate his character back in the day, I have a new found appreciation and hadn't dully realized how bad it went for him (cursed-wise)
I was trained by the Guy who trained Ken. Ken stopped by the Dojo of Pain when he was suspended. He spent the entire day talking about ring psychology things he wish he knew before getting to the WWE. He was incredibly nice and giving.
I watched Mr Kennedy on ByteThis! Back in the day with my best friend, and we became fans of him for life after that. It’s well worth tracking it down. It was great.
Even though Edge cashing in Kennedy's MITB on Undertaker gave us the legendary Edge vs. Taker feud of 2008, it would've been interesting to see how a Kennedy vs. Taker would've played out had he kept the briefcase.
I feel like he could’ve been a modern day Roddy Piper had the long winding series of unfortunate events happened to someone else. We could’ve had They Live 2, dammit!!!
Happy to finally see this retrospective. Mr. Kennedy should’ve been something more than what he was in WWE. Injuries are unfortunate, but they could’ve still done something better. The MITB run being cut off at the knees hurts the most, though that might’ve been moot with the steroid scandal after the Benoit tragedy.
Let’s be honest when has Cornette EVER kept his temper in check? I’m pretty sure he still wants 3/4ths of AEW’s roster dead. And 1/2 of WWE’s roster. And Vince Russo.
@@19fableI wouldn't take it too seriously, he even admits to exaggerating his hatred for entertainment purposes. When you listen to Cornette enough, you can tell when it's genuine like when he goes on his Russo rants or Kevin Dunn. He's even softened on Kenny Omega a little.
Still one of my favorite interviews ever is Cornette talking about how he will piss on Vince Russo's grave at the end of an episode of Dark Side of the Ring. (I think it was the Montreal episode.)
12:03 Brian Zane: "Dude, why don't you just, like, move? " Me: Well, Z-Man, ironically in the same year (2006), Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and the Spirit Squad didn't listen to your words when they got crapped on by D-Generation-X (or when The Spirit Squad got slimed also by DX).
Yes. I’ve been waiting for this Ken Kennedy www episode. Still hoping there’s one in the future for: -Ahmed Johnson in WWE -Edge, Lita, and Matt Hardy love triangle -Guest host era -Sin Cara in WWE -The Clique backstage politics vs Hulk Hogan backstage politics -WWE in 1995 -Mabel/Big Daddy V -The mishandling of Chavo Guerrero
Mr Kennedy has got to be one of the most unfortunate cases of wasted potential This guy had all the tools. Great mic skills, personality, competent in the ring, fan engagement & backstage backing. the company really wanted & Tried to push this guy to a main event level but fate just wasn't on his side or something
Man i really love your videos. I dont watch them all the time but whenever I come back to your channel your videos always well researched and well put together. Your videos are such good palette cleansers. Keep up the great work ❤❤
I’ll never forget when Mr. Anderson won the Immortal Hardy TNA championship and he was like “Great waited 15 years to become world champion and I’m given the Divas Title” 😂
I had a really busy summer with my first job this summer he debuted so I barely watched during these times, so I barely got to see Kennedy during the beginning of his wwe career. My buddy was watching wrestling steady and he would update me. He legit said Hardcore Holly came back and has been kicking ass, and has a new ring announcer gimmick. I was like that’s cool, right on can’t wait to see it, went to check it out, and I was like wtf that’s not Hardcore Holly! But became a fan, but legit cannot get the fact that my buddy was thinking he was Hardcore Holly out of my head, and legit think of Hardcore Holly whenever I see him. 😂😂😂
You hit the nail on the head around 2006. He was always on tv and in so many programs but eventually that has to equate to wins. I remember when I recently went back to watch smackdowns from this era as I started watching at this time and was shocked about how much he appeared. Even had a nice win streak. The rocket was on his back but it didn’t have a destination.
'Insane in the Membrane INSANE IS THE ZANE!!' He's the Man with the plan & 'I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER' Another Great video! Thanks B.Z. Sometimes we take our Favorite You Tube personalities for Granted. That's why, this Month is going to be,... Our, ĺYou Tuber's Appreciation Night! So everyone out there, throw your hands in the Air! & Bring them Together, for all of your favorites!!! Just Like, Brian Zane. The Man, who managed to pull me back in to Wrestling..... twice, since I first came across the channel near it's debut.! Take care. Know that we appreciate, all of your hard work!! I know it must be tough to juggle the channel, the familly & everything in between. So thanks for the laughs and the massive amount of information, half of of which I've mentally lost by now. So, that's what playlists are for ;) Time to go back to the start and go through the ups, downs and talking Stone Cold talking Soap, 1 more time, at least ;) You deserve it! Clap, clap and 3 more for the road. Cheers from Montreal Quebec Canada
I had been in and out of wrestling during Kennedy’s rise, but I remember my brain going “Let’s watch Smackdown” completely randomly one night, and tuned in to see Kennedy fighting Eddie. Eddie did the chair bit, and it was the first time I had seen that done! Boy, did I pop for that, only to find out days later the tragedy that ensued. Crazy.
Mr. Kennedy was always an interesting character. I was always intrigued as a kid by him, but wondered why he wasn’t a big star in WWE. Just total bad luck in his run.
27:43 Mr. Kennedy training Top Flight is pretty funny. I’m just imagining him standing next to someone watching Dante & Darius do the craziest high spots and saying “Yeah, I taught them that”
Honestly he would be great in today's WWE, he was basically LA Knight in the ruthless aggression era. It's not always about what you do in the ring, it's also about character, mic work, and charisma, as well as looking like a star. A lot of guys struggle with having everything these days
@@matayausphothirath5433 yah true but his 2 reign suck imo he lost most of the time but I’ll consider he’s TNA highlight was his feud with Kurt both man had amazing matches and their cage match it’s a classic
Mr Kennedy was awesome in WWE especially him doing his own in-ring introduction that was great the fact that he was the final opponents for Eddie guerrero and umaga is very interesting lol that KenDA joke was hilarious Kenedy had a better career in TNA.
Brian, we NEED a SID in WWE Video (1991-92 & 1995-97)! He was OVER AF! You don't give Sid the night off! You don't give him nothing but RESPECT! (Night after WM XI promo vs HBK).
The whole "Vince gets blown up and we have to pretend it's real, while having a graphic for someone who DID die, but let's ignore Sherri Martel because she's not important" really left a sour taste in my mouth, that I'd stopped watching them afterwards. It wasn't until the Pipebomb that I had given them a second chance, but I did not regret stop watching them.
ALL MY WRESTLER RETROSPECTIVES!
ua-cam.com/play/PLdy7NPpr-Icxk08WVNWy_hh-Ay68Y5R_u.html
....Kennedy
Kennedy... indeed.
Anderson
(*Pause*)….. KENNEDY!!!!
You forgot the 3 exclamation points at the end
PC Sandman...
Kennedy being booked to lose the MITB briefcase so quickly before WWE even knew the full extent of his injury makes me so mad to this day.
true but in hindsight it likely wouldn't have changed much, he'd have still been suspended for violating the wellness policy with the Benoit tragedy. I think his story would have still played out similarly but with a shot World title reign under his belt
I had never heard that part of the story before. I only heard he lost it because of an injury, not what happened after. Absolutely brutal for him.
They panicked because taker was injured. Batista was injured. And they really needed to get the belt off taker so he can have surgery. So with them thinking Kennedy was injured they immediately just went to plan b & gave it to edge. It’s a shame that Kennedy never got a world title run but it at least it gave us the edge era of smackdown because I think if Kennedy never got injured idk we would have saw edge become smackdown’s main key player because before that edge was stuck on raw playing second fiddle to John Cena
It doesn't help that most Money in the Bank media that goes over its history tends to act like Edge was the first guy to win overall, acting like Mr. Kennedy's win never happened.
That's a big reason why this era of wwe was the worst. If you weren't the 6 top guys in wwe, all it took as a 1 injury for Vince to lose all faith in you. There was nothing stopping Vince from showing up Friday and giving Edge the title match (he did it years later with Bautista after cena won the chamber match) and thus saving the briefcase.
The messed up part about eddie's last match is when kennedy entered the arena days after eddie died, when he heard he died, he was terrified thinking he killed eddie
He also had Umagas last match during the hulkamania tour and Umagas real name was also Eddie
@Venemofthe888 yikes i forgot
@@Venemofthe888 Oof... that must've messed up his mind.
And later down the road injures Cena, no wonder he started to phone it in BT the end, he was probably unsure of facing top talent without injuring them.
Eddie Kingston, do not wrestle Mr. Kennedy..
"if Jim Cornette could have kept his temper" that's not just a 'what if', that's a multiverse opening, timeline splitting,polarity reversing butterfly of infinite possibilities
That's such a true statement that reverberates hard with echos of endless past possibilities
He wouldn't be Jim Cornette
Not only was he Eddie's last opponent but sadly also Umagas
Two Eddies gone too soon
Ken Anderson might just be one of the unluckiest guys in WWE history. The guy had so much charisma and a striking gimmick, and he was always on the cusp of something huge, and just when things seemed to be going up for him, he’d get injured, suspended, or ultimately fired. It’s a shame. Just makes you wonder what could’ve been.
I worked with him for years in the midwest indies... What you saw is all he ever had. Hence why he never had one memorable match
Dude was pretty much the male Tamina, always getting his pushes detailed by injury
Anderson didn't help his own cause, several pushes were cancelled due to putting his own foot in his mouth as much as his untimely injuries, says something that he was never rehired by WWE
Honestly still sad that orton screwed him over he was aloud to actually shine in tna
Who always played him in the WWE games?
The "what if?" of Kennedy cashing in a year later, winning the title in the main event of Wrestlemania and seeing the McMahon's son story to the end is one of the biggest in company history.
Imagine him not losing that briefcase, going through the illegitimate son angle, and facing Triple H at Mania.... His heel status would've been incredible.
"Mrrrrrrr. Kennedyyyyyyy! Kennedyyy..." is still iconic to this day.
KENNEDY!!!!!!😎
Yeah, when that boxing announcer had done it for decades prior...
But nobody remembers a single good match he had
Is it?
Iconic like who?
When people were quick to detract LA Knight as a Rock impersonator last year, I was confused. He was much more of a student of Mr. Kennedy's game IMO
The man had attitude era level aura. Kennedy was literally the ONLY reason I was watching WWE in 2005/06, because the product was just awful back then. I just happened to be flipping through the channels and landed on UPN, a station I hadn't watched in years. And there he was standing in the middle of the Ring with a spotlight on him, and a mic hanging from ceiling. He looked like a STAR. I had never seen or heard of this dude before, but you bet your azz l was back every week just for him. I didn't have cable at the time, so when he got drafted to Raw I stopped watching wwe again until Punk's pipebomb in 2011 😅
@@KoolKeithProductionssame here but later on, i got free antenna tv after buying digital antenna at Walmart for 9.99. During past few yrs I watch SD live for free on fox Friday nights. Now that ends but in exchange lol I get NXT for free soon on CW! Least I get NXT.
I will never understand why being an Austin or Rock knock off is seen as a bad thing in wrestling.
@@ShadowThe771 you only hear that criticism from indy loving geeks
@@ShadowThe771 no one said it's a bad thing just boring to some people who have seen it before which makes things even more predictable
“Ayyyye man….this dude….this Mr. Kennedy….he stole my swanton….imma go back to Carolina…and tell my friend Shannon all about you Mr. Kennedy” - Jeff Hardy (probably)
Man of culture detected. Shuv it zone confirmed
My swanton finishing maneuver didn’t finish…
His "stoner" friend Shannon
shuv itttt
If you know of any other commentator!!!!
that can do the J.O.B
to K *long pause K
any night, any day, HAHA
Shove their name in the comments jack!
Dude literally had the worst luck of all time.
Titus O'Neill may disagree.
Chris Benoit: Allow me to introduce myself
I would have gone with Owen....
@foxfireinferno197 Nah he's still doing good with WWE and the charities.
I met him at a local wrestling show here in North Dakota. Such a nice guy. Talked to everyone and hung out after the show and just chatted with whoever wanted. Nice guy, can’t say that enough.
It''s honestly insane how cursed the year 2007 honestly was for the WWE especially that summer in 2007 everything that could go wrong basically did which just shows how cursed this year really was for WWE
As someone who started watching in late 06-early 07 going into Wrestlemania 23 and lived through the period between the Spring and Christmas of that year with everything that went down, it's crazy to think back on it now.
And it would only get worse.
And it was 2007 when me and my bro started watching WWE for the first time
It was 2007 where things changed with WWE forever.
Just saying if Kennedy was needed to take time out due to injury in 2007 they could have made Batista win the world title in that steel cage match and kept the briefcase on Kennedy
I found it even more confusing that they then decided to give Khali the title over Batista when Edge himself got injured. It's not like they had any issue putting the limelight on Batista - and Khali absolutely sucked donkey balls.
@@jziffiKhali made Giant Gonzalez’s look like Lou thezs😂 -Undertaker
@@jziffior kane.
@@jziffithey wanted a heel champion where they would have Batista chase him until they decide to give Batista the title
win, not won
Actually, his hometown is mine....Two Rivers, WI. Graduated from my Highschool. My jaw dropped when I saw Kamikaze Ken Anderson show up on WWE tv!
Is that town near the fox river side?
Also Tiffany Stratton (a classmate) was a part of the school that Anderson coaches at
Julia Hart as well tho people familiarize her more for being a Cody kid
@@MetalMadness_00 exactly
12:12 "Am I an asshole for pointing that out?" My husband and I laughed WAY too hard at that. lol.
To be fair Kennedy did help get Hornswoggle hired as they’re both Wisconsin guys
I didn't know hornswoggle was a wisconsinite. Finally reasons to be proud of something besides milk
@@KlaireMurreOshkosh
@@KlaireMurre well, at least a hometown boy was still revealed as Vince's kid that night
@@HWJASURYbut his gimmick was a leprechaun from Ireland lmao
@@flashfunk0373 eh minor details
It's crazy that even though he was released months before Smackdown vs Raw 2010 was released... He's still in the game and played a key role in Edge's in game storyline...
I think that's the reason he was kept in the game cause taking him out would have delayed the game
Happens often enough. A lot of wrestling video games have been outdated when they are released.
Hey Brian, there's one major event you glossed over. It was on the July 2, 2007 episode of RAW.
This was Kennedy's first appearance on Raw since he got drafted and he opened up the show. Cena cuts him off while he's cutting his promo and completely ROASTS him on the mic. At one point he called him, "Mr. Camel Toe" while Kennedy got in no rebuttal and just looked like an idiot.
Then Mr. Kennedy had a beat-the-clock challenge match (winner would challenge Cena at GAB for the title) against a jobber in Super Crazy. Mr. Kennedy lost the match in under 10 seconds via roll-up and, once again, looked like a complete idiot. It was a Santino Marella type moment.
At the end of Raw, both Kennedy and Booker came out to attack Cena and Bobby Lashley, only to get their asses kicked by both of them. Once again, it made Kennedy look like a complete idiot.
I remember thinking that all of Kennedy's hype was done after that episode. Mr. Kennedy didn't even make it onto the Great American Bash PPV and was in a throwaway triple threat IC title match at Summerslam where he ate the pin against Umaga.
It was clear that Kennedy had detractors in the Raw locker room because he was served humble pie within his first couple of months on the brand.
I think this is interesting but not really out of character with how WWE used or uses heels - unless you're the top dog a lot of heels on any roster (especially with Cena around) generally look pretty weak and bumbling unless they're in a big program. But you're right, definitely a sign of things to come.
@@ConfusedProud It was something that I found interesting because Kennedy was coming off a feud with the Undertaker where he technically "won" twice on PPVs. He also won the MITB over a stacked group (Orton, Edge, Jeff, Punk) but was treated like such a putz when he came to Raw.
Orton had buried others. Cena had buried others. Ken made some powerful enemies, even as they portrayed his friend off-screen.
@@JustinLeeper Yup. Ken talks about how he had good relations with Taker and Batista on Smackdown which helped lead to his rise.
I can't prove it with Cena but I can always tell when he doesn't like a talent. It's how he sneers at them and doesn't give them anything in return. Cena would do it with Kennedy and Alex Riley. In contrast, I got the sense that Cena had the utmost respect for guys like Punk, Bryan, AJ and KO.
I always thought he looked like Boomhauer from King Of The Hill
lol
I experienced the same pattern as Brian. I grew up with the ruthless aggression era, and loving guys like Cena, Batista, Edge, Orton, Taker etc. When the new era started it was difficult to get used to. It's tough to admit that you've grown up.
That’s why I am grateful I found TNA in late 04/05 which was everything i missed in WWE at the time up until the Hogan takeover
Kennedy is a bit like LA Knight or Joe Hendry in that he'll not blow you away in the ring but he's serviceable enough and he's so charismatic that it doesn't really matter if he's unlikely to have a 5 star banger.
The engaging personality giving you a reason to be invested in the storyline should be part of what makes a match 5 stars. It should not just be who can do the best shooting star press.
Hey if Ultimate Warrior can have decent matches with Hogan and Rick Rude of all people then I am sure LA Knight or even Kennedy could of had potential with having at least one amazing match with the right opponent. I mean before Reigns turned heel he had a great match with Lesnar at Mania 21 and those 2 matches with Aj Styles in 2016.
@@jeffreysharp9925 exactly
@@greasy8394 Oh, I'm certainly not saying that Kennedy or Knight are / were bad, it's just that they're obviously better on the mic than in the ring. But they've both had really fun matches.
Theres a category of wrestler for these guys, where theyre actually better than people think and are on their mark in the ring more than often, have a few standout tricks they can do very well. Like The Rock or LA, but arent super technical or super agile, but yet agile in their own impressive way, and can work with anyone.
Mr. Kennedy hitting the
Green Bay Plunge off the ladder on Hornswoggle
will forever
be my favorite
WrestleMania moment!
I have to
wonder if
the formatting
of your post
was intended
to be poetry.
To think had he not been misdiagnosed he could have still won the cash in and things could have been very different. Mr Kennedy was like a breath of fresh air at that time.
Always loved his Green Bay Plunge finisher and his ring intro.
This was also the time that my wrestling fandom began.
Fun fact: I have a copy of Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia, signed by Mr. Kennedy himself. I was in the Army when the movie came out, and as part of the publicity tour, he was making appearances at military bases across the country. He made a stop at Fort Bliss, TX while I was stationed there - I got a photo with him and he signed both the movie and a Mr. Kennedy action figure.
They're both probably still in my sister's garage in one of my footlockers, action figure still in box though a little rough around the edges.
I believe this ones to be your best jobs Z-Man, this kind of Bios are always fun to watch and so easy to digest. Thanks for the good content ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾
The really fucked up part of the ‘07 briefcase fiasco is that Edge ended up getting hurt only a month into his reign while Kennedy had already returned from his arm injury.
And then both guys got done in for the Signature Pharmacy scandal. Even if either stayed healthy they both would've dropped the title and been suspended anyway.
@@andrewdunn5568 Kennedy having to hastily drop the title would’ve been better than having it on Great Khali
27:46 Mr Kennedy also coached Tiffany Stratton
Really? Didn't know that
@@CrazedGinja yep. m.ua-cam.com/users/shortsSMDPyjSlGtE
10:37 i disagree i think That version of the us title is one of the best looking championships of all time
I think it’s more of comment about the champions not being wealthy but I might be wrong
Randy Orton being Mr. Over-dramatic... (Over-dramatic). I've never been able to respect Randy Orton since I found out about that incident. Randy never hit his head like he claimed, and played politics to get a man fired.
I'm in the same boat as you
I mean, he most probably is good friends with John Cena and you know how John Cena's ego is. Probably told him to help and get Kennedy fired for the previous accident. It's John "Wo Ai Bing Chilling" Cena after all.
That bit about the last ride match basically being just an ambulance match but with a hearse was my exact sentiment when I was thinking about the first one with JBL/Taker at No Mercy 04.
I met Ken Anderson back in 2019 during an independent promotions big event and he was a very cool guy. I don’t think he was too thrilled that I brought a WWE belt but I think at that point he didn’t care
Man, I've seen a million videos on Mr. Kennedy's WWE career. His career has become so infamous
Austin and Taker were fans of him. Ken said SC would call him after raw and they would watch the DVR version and he would give him pointers and tips.
Kennedy being a Packers fan winning his biggest match in The Detroit Lions stadium 😂
That's heelish as hell.. 😂😂 Love it!
Oh, the irony 😂😂😂!
Just saw Mr. Anderson in Lancaster PA at Three Legacies Wrestling’s Red Rose Rumble 2 on August 3 0:51
8:55 I was at that SD show in the front row where he lost via pinfall for the first time. His mom and girlfriend were in the front row (got to talk to them before the show) and so were a lot of Indy wrestlers from Minneapolis area who knew Kennedy. It was really surprising they had him lose.
4:37 Ken DA sent me I won’t lie god Vince is the worst
Mr. Kennedy definitely had the look and charisma to be a main event star. It's a shame he was so misused.
I always thought he was going to be the next rock honestly
Great update Brian.... I was a Kennedy mark, im glad he got to do some fun stuff in TNA____ heck, he achieved more than the Ryback 🎤🎙️
**Pirate Paul Burchill appears**
Man, I wonder if Brian still feels--
Brian: "KILL ME!"
...Yeah, just checking out.
I was too young to appreciate his character back in the day, I have a new found appreciation and hadn't dully realized how bad it went for him (cursed-wise)
Thanks for mentioning the Sherry death being overlooked in 2007. That bothered me a lot at the time
I was trained by the Guy who trained Ken. Ken stopped by the Dojo of Pain when he was suspended. He spent the entire day talking about ring psychology things he wish he knew before getting to the WWE. He was incredibly nice and giving.
Idea for future video: William Regal in WWE...just sayin'
If I remember correctly, Kennedy also injured Bobby Lashley in what turned out to be his last match of his first run in WWE.
22:47 Then at WrestleMania 24, he fought Kim Kardashian 😂😂😂
18:55- The “Vince McMahon Product of My Semen” Club😂😂😂
"It was either this or little people and do you know how hard it is to get so many of them on short notice?"
Shortsleeve only has so many workers!
I always remember that ‘yeah gained a pound’ bit. Thanks so much for finding it and throwing it in there.
It really is as if he crossed some witch or something to curse him to be ruined at every opportunity.
Bryan Zane...... Zane! Thanks my dude.
I watched Mr Kennedy on ByteThis! Back in the day with my best friend, and we became fans of him for life after that. It’s well worth tracking it down. It was great.
Ken Anderson was also a Cincinnati Bengals quarterback
To this day, when my friend and I call each other we greet by yelling "KENNNNEEEDDDDYYYYYYY!!!" lol.
Even though Edge cashing in Kennedy's MITB on Undertaker gave us the legendary Edge vs. Taker feud of 2008, it would've been interesting to see how a Kennedy vs. Taker would've played out had he kept the briefcase.
Didn't even mention Julia Hart & Tiffany Stratton who were also students of Anderson's school
I feel like he could’ve been a modern day Roddy Piper had the long winding series of unfortunate events happened to someone else. We could’ve had They Live 2, dammit!!!
In all fairness to the Hornswoggle reveal in Green Bay Swoggle is from nearby Appleton
You mean the home of Brad Rheingens?!
It always felt like CM Punk had the career that Kennedy could have had, if that makes any sense.
Both Midwesterners
I feel like that’s a top eight video you can make wrestler who could’ve been stars but ultimately failed
Great idea. Would love a countdown of that.
Happy to finally see this retrospective. Mr. Kennedy should’ve been something more than what he was in WWE. Injuries are unfortunate, but they could’ve still done something better. The MITB run being cut off at the knees hurts the most, though that might’ve been moot with the steroid scandal after the Benoit tragedy.
My two favorite guys at the time were MVP and Mr. Kennedy
He’s my wrestling coach here in St. Paul Minnesota
Does he still have a nice butt?
Let’s be honest when has Cornette EVER kept his temper in check? I’m pretty sure he still wants 3/4ths of AEW’s roster dead. And 1/2 of WWE’s roster. And Vince Russo.
not dead just off tv. Which is pretty understandable
@@maxhanzey8506considering his track record I won’t hold my breath.
@@19fableI wouldn't take it too seriously, he even admits to exaggerating his hatred for entertainment purposes. When you listen to Cornette enough, you can tell when it's genuine like when he goes on his Russo rants or Kevin Dunn. He's even softened on Kenny Omega a little.
Still one of my favorite interviews ever is Cornette talking about how he will piss on Vince Russo's grave at the end of an episode of Dark Side of the Ring. (I think it was the Montreal episode.)
Teddy Long making people fight the Undertaker was my favorite part of smackdown 😂
13:45 . He now resides in MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTAAAAA
12:03 Brian Zane: "Dude, why don't you just, like, move? "
Me: Well, Z-Man, ironically in the same year (2006), Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and the Spirit Squad didn't listen to your words when they got crapped on by D-Generation-X (or when The Spirit Squad got slimed also by DX).
How? This video has just been published, how are you commenting a day before?
Damn it, Hunter
@@IsaacAllison Vince stole DX's idea for what he did to that woman?
Hornswoggle is from Green Bay. (Technically Oshkosh, but its close enough)
So is Willam Dafoe
Yes. I’ve been waiting for this Ken Kennedy www episode.
Still hoping there’s one in the future for:
-Ahmed Johnson in WWE
-Edge, Lita, and Matt Hardy love triangle
-Guest host era
-Sin Cara in WWE
-The Clique backstage politics vs Hulk Hogan backstage politics
-WWE in 1995
-Mabel/Big Daddy V
-The mishandling of Chavo Guerrero
Mr Kennedy has got to be one of the most unfortunate cases of wasted potential
This guy had all the tools. Great mic skills, personality, competent in the ring, fan engagement & backstage backing. the company really wanted & Tried to push this guy to a main event level but fate just wasn't on his side or something
Man i really love your videos. I dont watch them all the time but whenever I come back to your channel your videos always well researched and well put together. Your videos are such good palette cleansers. Keep up the great work ❤❤
I thought you’d like to know, I saw that you posted a video, and I smiled. Thanks for everything you do Bryan!
I’ll never forget when Mr. Anderson won the Immortal Hardy TNA championship and he was like
“Great waited 15 years to become world champion and I’m given the Divas Title” 😂
Least he got to hold tna's big gold belt
“Ken DA …. NDA “….. best line by Mr .Zane
1:53 you are natural at comedy 😂😂😂😂
When I first watched the video on Patreon and the microphone fell on Brian, I lost it 😂😂😂😂
I had a really busy summer with my first job this summer he debuted so I barely watched during these times, so I barely got to see Kennedy during the beginning of his wwe career.
My buddy was watching wrestling steady and he would update me.
He legit said Hardcore Holly came back and has been kicking ass, and has a new ring announcer gimmick. I was like that’s cool, right on can’t wait to see it, went to check it out, and I was like wtf that’s not Hardcore Holly! But became a fan, but legit cannot get the fact that my buddy was thinking he was Hardcore Holly out of my head, and legit think of Hardcore Holly whenever I see him. 😂😂😂
You hit the nail on the head around 2006. He was always on tv and in so many programs but eventually that has to equate to wins.
I remember when I recently went back to watch smackdowns from this era as I started watching at this time and was shocked about how much he appeared. Even had a nice win streak. The rocket was on his back but it didn’t have a destination.
He chopped my chest in a bar in Preston, England. I swear to God!
'Insane in the Membrane
INSANE IS THE ZANE!!'
He's the Man with the plan & 'I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER'
Another Great video! Thanks B.Z. Sometimes we take our Favorite
You Tube personalities for
Granted.
That's why, this Month is going to be,... Our, ĺYou Tuber's Appreciation Night!
So everyone out there, throw your hands in the Air! & Bring them Together, for all of your favorites!!! Just Like,
Brian Zane. The Man, who managed to pull me back in to Wrestling..... twice, since I first came across the channel near it's debut.!
Take care. Know that we appreciate, all of your hard work!! I know it must be tough to juggle the channel, the familly
& everything in between.
So thanks for the laughs and the massive amount
of information, half of of which I've mentally lost by now.
So, that's what playlists are for ;)
Time to go back to the start and go through the ups, downs and talking Stone Cold talking Soap, 1 more time, at least ;)
You deserve it! Clap, clap and 3 more for the road.
Cheers from Montreal Quebec Canada
H9m hitting the Green Bay Plunge on Hornswoggle off a ladder is still a wild moment
I had been in and out of wrestling during Kennedy’s rise, but I remember my brain going “Let’s watch Smackdown” completely randomly one night, and tuned in to see Kennedy fighting Eddie. Eddie did the chair bit, and it was the first time I had seen that done! Boy, did I pop for that, only to find out days later the tragedy that ensued. Crazy.
That slow-mo shot of MVP looked cool asf
Mr. Kennedy was always an interesting character. I was always intrigued as a kid by him, but wondered why he wasn’t a big star in WWE. Just total bad luck in his run.
I liked how his entrance was completely different than everybody else
Even in the games he announced himself instead of the announcer. His gimmick may have been just saying his name, but it worked and it was over.
Using a gimmick that belonged to the Rock. Now you have LA Knight … whose gimmick belonged to … The Rock. With a dose of Dollar Store Stone Cold.
27:43 Mr. Kennedy training Top Flight is pretty funny.
I’m just imagining him standing next to someone watching Dante & Darius do the craziest high spots and saying “Yeah, I taught them that”
I'm surprised they didn't have Jeff Hardy and Mr Kennedy team up at No Mercy 2007 to randomly win the tag titles in a 'will they get a long' angle.
Mr.Kennedy had a mid WWE run and even more of a mediocre run in TNA he truly couldn’t catch a break in any promotion
At least he won the world championship in TNA so there’s that
Honestly he would be great in today's WWE, he was basically LA Knight in the ruthless aggression era. It's not always about what you do in the ring, it's also about character, mic work, and charisma, as well as looking like a star. A lot of guys struggle with having everything these days
@@matayausphothirath5433 yah true but his 2 reign suck imo he lost most of the time but I’ll consider he’s TNA highlight was his feud with Kurt both man had amazing matches and their cage match it’s a classic
Was the repeating of his last name a reference to Chet Coppack from Wrestlemania 2? "The Fabulous Moolah, Moolah!"
Mr Kennedy was awesome in WWE especially him doing his own in-ring introduction that was great the fact that he was the final opponents for Eddie guerrero and umaga is very interesting lol that KenDA joke was hilarious Kenedy had a better career in TNA.
Brian, we NEED a SID in WWE Video (1991-92 & 1995-97)! He was OVER AF! You don't give Sid the night off! You don't give him nothing but RESPECT! (Night after WM XI promo vs HBK).
The whole "Vince gets blown up and we have to pretend it's real, while having a graphic for someone who DID die, but let's ignore Sherri Martel because she's not important" really left a sour taste in my mouth, that I'd stopped watching them afterwards. It wasn't until the Pipebomb that I had given them a second chance, but I did not regret stop watching them.
Mr Kennedy was the textbook definition of wasted potential.
LA Knight and Mr Kennedy seem to follow the Initialism+6 letter surname trope.
Why did they get the MITB off of Kennedy if the original plan was waiting 12 months....and the tricep injury was only thought to be 7 months?
Primo and Epico should’ve got background roles in Behind Enemy Lines Columbia